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Tips for Flying Indoors
3203 11 2015-1-7
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jmims
Second Officer
Flight distance : 1686991 ft
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United States
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I am working on a project where I might need to fly the bird indoors. It's a large warehouse that's virtually empty from 10 feet up to 40 feet up. I'm guessing the building is made of steel, but I can't be sure.
Wanted to get some tips from others who have done something similar. I assume the first step is to calibrate the compass indoors. There won't be a GPS signal inside so ATTI it is. I haven't flown in ATTI outdoors (I will practice before moving inside), but it's my understanding that the bird will hold it's alititude in ATTI but not so much with the horizontal.

Any thoughts / tips from anyone?
2015-1-7
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DJI-Dboy
lvl.4

China
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Usually only atti is available ndoors.
the drone may drift a little to one direction indoors, one can use RC to deminish it manually
2015-1-8
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gnixon2015
First Officer

United States
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i wouldnt think you would want (or need) to calibrate your compass indoors, particularly in the inside of a huge metal building.  but others have more technical expertise on the engineering aspects of these than i do so maybe they will confirm or deny the best practice.
2015-1-8
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droneflyers.com
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Flight distance : 60709 ft
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It may not even hold altitude properly as indoor air currents, obstacles, etc. can mess with the barometric pressure and it doesn't have the GPS data to refer to.

No worries, though. It is still quite stable - make sure you use prop and other guards to assure keeping your Phantom in one piece.
2015-1-8
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anthony
United States
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I don't think calibrating the compass will be of use.  It will maintain attitude (stay flat) and heading (yaw) and altitude.  This is because it senses pitch and roll and has an accelerometer and barometric sensor.  In ATTI, it will drift due to outside forces (air movement such as wind or blowers in your building).  Without those, it *should* be nice and stable, inside.
2015-1-8
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jmims
Second Officer
Flight distance : 1686991 ft
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United States
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Thanks for the info, guys. I think the easiest way for me to set this up is to just find a nice long isle, turn on course lock and pan across the warehouse down the isle. Easy, easy. Since I won't be doing any real precision flying, the drift (if there is any) won't cause any harm.

Of course, I'm still putting on the prop guards.
2015-1-8
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markus2015
Second Officer

Germany
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jmims@me.com Posted at 2015-1-9 13:31
Thanks for the info, guys. I think the easiest way for me to set this up is to just find a nice long ...

Firstly, to use IOC you'll have to be further than 10 meters from your homepint for it to work, and besides, how do you think  this will work in a warehouse with no GPS reception? The Phatom will have no idea where the homepoint is, or even where it is itself.

Fly in ATTI mode, everything else is pointless!
2015-1-9
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markus2015
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Germany
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Jamie Hellmich Posted at 2015-1-10 00:06
Course Lock works off of the compass, and will work in ATTI, if you have a good compass reading.

THX for the correction, makes sence. But I also wander if you get good compass reading in a warehouse with so much steel around you.
2015-1-9
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Jamie Hellmich
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United States
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markus2015 Posted at 2015-1-9 23:49
Firstly, to use IOC you'll have to be further than 10 meters from your homepint for it to work, an ...


Course Lock works off of the compass, and will work in ATTI, if you have a good compass reading.
2015-1-9
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Jamie Hellmich
Second Officer

United States
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markus2015 Posted at 2015-1-10 00:44
THX for the correction, makes sence. But I also wander if you get good compass reading in a wareho ...

It should work, as long as there is nothing creating magnetic fields such as very large electric motors, etc...  I'd do the compass calibration inside the building.
2015-1-9
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rod
First Officer

New Zealand
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Jamie Hellmich Posted at 2015-1-10 00:48
It should work, as long as there is nothing creating magnetic fields such as very large electric mo ...

And don't forget to set your RTH height lower than the ceiling just in case!
2015-1-10
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fans2cc3a04d
lvl.1

United States
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Actually turn your "lost signal" mode to HOVER so that RTH will NOT kick in!   You don't want to send the bird into the ceiling!
2017-1-15
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